Details Are Discussed By CNO On Sea Control Ship Of Future
(Navy Times, 9 June 1971)
The first details on the “air capable ship,” which is now in the planning stages for the Navy of the future, were revealed by Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., U. S. Navy, Chief of Naval Operations.
He said the vessel—now known as the “sea control ship”—will be “. . . an extremely austere 12,000-ton ship, configured in profile much like an amphibious assault ship (LPH) capable of operating either vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) or helicopters and requiring no catapults or arresting gear.” The ship would carry enough helicopters, the CNO said, to keep one aloft at all times for surveillance and early teaming, with one or two for “reaction” missions. There would be enough V/STOL aircraft, he added, to provide limited air defense or permit limited strikes against a surface target. Admiral Zumwalt noted:
Ships and aircraft would be designed as complementary subsystems, with maximum capability in weapons and sensors being placed in the aircraft, minimum in the ship.
He made it clear that the ship “. . . is not intended, nor should it be considered as a replacement . . . for the aircraft carrier, but that it would be used . . . in supplementary and complementary roles essentially related to the sea control mission . . .” of the Navy.
The Chief of Naval Operations said:
Outside the umbrella of Navy tactical air, it will provide an operating deck for aircraft where the larger numbers of an attack air wing may not be required. It will serve as a base for aircraft on ancillary missions which would be restrictive to the tempo of operations of a CVA, such as convoy escort or open ocean support of small task groups.
In several scenarios, we envision the sea control ship working either in consort with the CV and CVA or with smaller combatant types. For example, with the sea control ship in a cold war tension situation, the task force commander would have the option of probing adversary forces for the purpose of determining intentions without increased risk to the CVs and CVAs. This possibility alone is enough to indicate to us that the sea control ship can add a new dimension to our options.
The Harrier and follow-on V/STOL aircraft, new airborne ASW sensors, improved helicopter capabilities, and more effective surveillance techniques have made this concept technologically feasible and much more attractive than it could have been only a few years ago.
I believe it is the right ship to support the sea control mission in the right time frame.
The sea control ship, in conjunction with our existing and programmed forces, will give us the flexibility to respond with a wide variety of options to the many and varied threats which exist. Having these options available in more units will provide us with the mobility to respond with a credible force over wider areas.
In his remarks, Zumwalt also revealed that tests on the forthcoming 100-ton surface effect ships will begin soon on Chesapeake Bay, working out of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
* See F. A. Hill, “View from the Bridge—1980,” U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings, this issue, pp. 103-104.
New Navy Research Instrument Alerts To Onset Of The Bends
(Office of Naval Research News Release, June 1971)
A new research instrument is being tested that holds promise for alerting Navy scientists to the onset of decompression sickness in divers before symptoms are seen. The new tool, along with other research studies, is helping the Navy gain a better understanding of the cause and prevention of the bends.
The new device is an ultrasonic sensor that can detect the formation of the first bubbles before there are any ill effects. Called a doppler ultrasonic flowmeter (DUF), it is being tested and modified by the Virginia Mason Research Center, Seattle, Washington, under an Office of Naval Research contract with funds provided by the Naval Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
The instrument consists of a system of transducers which send sound waves of known frequencies through predetermined places in the blood stream. When a bubble flows past the transducer, it causes a change in the frequency of the sound waves known as a doppler shift. Properly amplified, the change can be heard as a “chirp.” The bubbles can also be detected visually as a change in the wave amplitude on the oscillograph screen.
Experiments have been conducted with sheep made susceptible to decompression sickness. Results indicate that the surgically implanted DUF sensor can detect the formation of microscopic bubbles long before the animals show clinical manifestations of the bends. Recent experiments make use of a newly developed external hand-held transcutaneous DUF that can monitor human subjects during decompression.
By understanding the physiological mechanisms related to the origin of the bends, the Navy can develop much more accurate decompression tables for divers returning from various depths. Present schedules are largely based on experience and the subjective observation of divers. Such schedules are not completely reliable, since the decompression rate can vary depending on an individual’s age, physical condition, weight, and diving history.
A long-range possibility is that the DUF instrument can be the basis of an early warning device which will tell the diver undergoing decompression, or the medical technicians monitoring him, that he is about to get the bends and will permit preventive action to be initiated before bends symptoms actually occur.
M.I.T. Changes Name, Expands Naval Architecture Department
(M.I.T. News Release, 8 June 1971)
The name of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the oldest academic department of its kind in the United States, has been changed to the Department of Ocean Engineering to reflect expanding programs in teaching research, and growing interrelationships with other engineering disciplines.
Dr. Alfred A. H. Keil, dean of the M.I.T. School of Engineering, said faculty and students increasingly in recent years have found their interests expanding into the broad areas of ocean utilization and ocean environment. He added:
The spectrum of engineering activities for any field of engineering encompasses not only the relevant engineering sciences, but also advancing technology and systems analyses—including the impact of modern computer technology—as well as the application of this background in the derivation of concepts, the design of equipment and systems, and the production process.
The new name, Dr. Keil said, does not signify a diminishing of interest in the traditional concerns of naval architects and marine engineers—ship design and construction, and marine power engineering. The Pratt School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, which is part of the department, will continue to be a leader in ship design, ship hydrodynamics, ship structural research, propeller and ship propulsion systems development, and sailing yacht design.
The department has long been pre-eminent in the teaching of ship design and construction. Since 1901, the U. S. Navy has sent graduates of its Academy to M.I.T. for three years of postgraduate study, and an M.I.T. alumnus has been the chief architect for virtually every ship of the line the Navy has built over the past half-century.
Navy Testfires 6-inch Gun On Board Hydrofoil Flagstaff
(The New York Times, 6 June 1971)
A hydrofoil gunship that fires a 6-inch cannon while skimming over the surface at speeds up to 51 knots was demonstrated by the Navy off the California coast.
The experimental 73-foot craft, equipped with her cruiser-sized weapon, is designed for swift hit-and-run attacks on ships and coastal targets in strongly- defended areas where her speed, maneuverability, and out-of-the-water hull offer increased protection against sonar and radar detection.
In her final firepower tests conducted at the Navy’s San Clemente Island target range, 75 miles off the Southern California coast, the converted hydrofoil, USS Flagstaff (PGH-1), blasted cliffside targets and sank the floating hulk of a landing craft with 50-pound shells at ranges of 1,200 to 3,000 yards. During a dozen firings from her forward-mounted turret, the Flagstaff darted back and forth across Pyramid Cove at speeds of 43 to 50 knots.
Vice Admiral Nels C. Johnson, U. S. Navy, Commander of the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force, who was on board the Flagstaff during the two hours of firings, said the tests established the compatibility of a 5-ton weapon, powerful enough to pierce the armor of any naval vessel afloat, on board a 67-ton craft.
Further development is required, however, to achieve greater range, a higher firing rate than the current four shells a minute, and more sophisticated fire control. A decision will be made by the Chief of Naval Operations on whether subsequent development efforts are to center on a hydrofoil such as the Flagstaff, whose propeller-driven foils are fully submerged, or a water-jet craft similar to the Navy’s older USS Tucumcari (PGH-2) hydrofoil, which rides completely out of the water on a cushion of air above her surface-piercing foils.
Because of her submerged hydrofoils, the Flagstaff provides greater stability and maintenance of speed in high seas, while the water jet-driven craft are able to operate at greater maximum speeds, up to 80 knots.
The Flagstaff, built for the Navy by the Grumman Aerospace Corp., served seven months on surveillance patrol along the Vietnam coast in 1969 and early 1970 before her selection for the feasibility study with a 155-mm. cannon. In her Vietnam operations, the vessel carried a 40-mm. cannon, 80-mm. [sic] mortar, and four machine guns.
The 152-mm. cannon installed in a turret on the Flagstaff's forward deck is a standard M-6 tank weapon acquired from the Army. Further development efforts are expected to concentrate largely on a gun and fire-control system better suited to the Navy’s requirements, particularly in range, and automated radar or optical fire-control.
The ship has a complement of one officer and 12 enlisted men.
East Germans Modernize Navy Minesweeper Fleet
(Atlantische Welt, April 1970)
An extensive modernization program for the Volksmarine (East German Navy) minesweeper force is presently underway.
Because of serious damage to machinery and hulls, the minesweeping groups of the zonal navy have not been in readiness for the past few years to carry out their tasks. Most units are 16 to 18 years old. From 1952, 12 ships were built for high seas minesweeping service (modified Habicht ships of 500- to 650-ton displacements). These were equipped for duty as minelayers. Fifty Schwalbe-class ships carry out coastal minesweeping duties. The 50-ton ships, however, are considered unsuitable for this type work.
The new ships are of the 280-ton Kondor class, which is similar to the Federal German Navy’s Schutze class. They have been developed with a closed bridge and will be 153 feet long, and will have two diesel engines of 2,000 h.p. each. They will be equipped with 25-mm. anti-aircraft guns, and later, radar-controlled 4-inch, .30-caliber guns will be installed.
Seafarer’s Accidents Increase As Employment Rate Decreases
(Fairplay International Shipping Journal, 8 April 1971)
No maritime nation publishes more detailed statistics about accidents to seafarers than do the Americans, and the latest analysis issued by the Marine Index Bureau, Inc., contains some interesting figures. For example, from 1969 to 1970, the number of seamen’s jobs available in oceangoing U. S.-flag ships fell from 46,700 to 38,400, the peak figure for the past 20 years being right back in 1951, when 86,000 seafarers found employment. In 1967, which represented the high point for the past 12 years, the number was 57,000. The number of jobs available in 1970 hit an all-time low.
Although fewer seafarers than ever were employed in the U. S. merchant marine, the accident and illness frequency rate went up. Illnesses reported during the year numbered 17,190, while injuries reported numbered 15,141, making a total of 32,331—equivalent to 84.2% of the number of jobs available. This is not perhaps as bad as it looks at first sight. These figures include minor injuries and illnesses which do not involve a loss of working time, but which have to be reported to the Marine Index Bureau because seafarers are not subject to normal American workmen’s compensation provision. The president of M.I.B., Bruno J. Augenti, however, comments that in the Bureau’s 25-year history, it has been found that, whenever there is a decline in the number of seamen’s jobs available, there is a simultaneous rise in the number of seamen’s claims presented for minor injuries and illnesses. Although not covered by normal workmen’s compensation, American seamen are protected by the Jones Act and various other statutory and judicial laws applicable solely to them.
Only just over 2% of the total number of seafarers suffered in 1970 from the illnesses classified as serious—namely, tuberculosis, psychoneurosis, epilepsy, suicide (sic), and cancer or tumor. Just over 3% suffered from serious injuries—injuries involving amputation, and fractures involving the back, head, neck, and shoulders, the figures including fatal accidents. Altogether, in 1970, seafarers suffering fatal accidents numbered 99, while 38 died from disease.
Such figures, while interesting in themselves, cannot tell us much until comparable figures are available from other maritime nations, and, even then, one wants some assurance that the figures are complete in themselves. For example, if a seaman suffering from a disease or some disability leaves the sea and then dies, is his death included in the statistics if it is obviously attributable to his sea service? At the 65-nation. I.L.O. maritime conference in Geneva in 1970, considerable attention was given to the subject of accident prevention on board ship at sea and in port, and guidelines for reporting accidents and analyzing illness and injury statistics were included in Convention 134. Until others follow the American example little can be learned from these statistics as they stand, though something of use might come to light if they could be further analyzed by trade and company. What the shipping industry wants to know is, how accidents and illness can be cut down? What are the best safety precautions? What more can the accident prevention officer at the British Shipping Federation and his colleague in other countries do to keep all seafarers fit and well? Some of the answers to these questions might be found if better records were kept, published, and analyzed in all major maritime countries and not merely in the United States.